InfraRed Capital Partners is investing in edge data centres in the DACH region through partnerships with local developers.

The infrastructure investment manager has launched the NexSpace edge data centre platform, led by Holger Sievers as CEO, to target assets in regional cities and towns across Germany, Austria and Switzerland. Sievers led MSG Services for more than a decade and also held various senior positions at IBM and INFO.

Edge data centres are small data centres located close to a network’s edge.   

InfraRed said it is investing in NexSpace’s initial expansion, focusing on greenfield development and collaboration. NexSpace is anchored by a newly-built, energy-efficient facility in Heidelberg, Germany, the manager added.

Stephane Kofman, head of capital gain funds at InfraRed Capital Partners, said: “This investment reflects our continued belief in the essential role of data centres as a critical piece of infrastructure to facilitate the digitisation of societies and economies worldwide.

“The regional small and mid-size corporate market and edge opportunity is a fast-growing pocket of the sector, requiring scale-up capital to serve its ambitious needs. Germany is ideally suited to this strategy, thanks to its large but regionalised economy and substantial base of ‘Mittelstand’ enterprise customers.”

Sievers said: “I am delighted to partner with InfraRed and our other shareholders to develop NexSpace as we strive to deliver on the exciting opportunities in this market. Having witnessed firsthand the evolution of the sector over the past three decades, I believe that the edge opportunity represents the next stage of growth for the data centre industry.

“With a focus on greenfield development of new, energy-efficient facilities, I have no doubt that NexSpace is well placed to succeed.”

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